Officials of the Income Tax Department on Thursday raided the premises of Nellore-based businessman and politician Beeda Masthan Rao of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP). Masthan is said to be a close aide of party chief and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu. According to reports, I-T sleuths from Chennai have conducted raids on BMR Groups, a shrimp farming and exports firm where Beeda Masthan Rao is the chairman. It is reported that the simultaneous raids were taking place in eight places including in Chennai and Nellore. 

Sleuths were also reported to have seized several documents related to the business dealings. Officials oversaw the operations and records of the firm in Kavali, Damavaram, Ramatheertham. Further details are awaited.

“Over 25 years, the BMR Group has grown to an industrial conglomerate with 250 hectares of hatcheries, 600 hectares of farming, on-site labs and feed mills, a state-of-the-art factory covering 50,000 sq. ft. in Dhamavaram, with a capacity of 25 metric tonnes per day,” BMR Groups’ official website stated.

Beeda is a known BC leader belonging to the Yadava community. In March this year, Beeda Mashtan Rao backed out from his attempts for a nomination to the Rajya Sabha after being assured of an important post in the Assembly elections.

In the past, Beeda’s name was also considered for the post of the chairman of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD), which oversees operations of the Lord Venkateswara temple atop Tirumala.

The senior TDP leader is presently a member of the Andhra Pradesh Capital Region Development Authority. 

Beeda served as an MLA of Kavali Assembly segment for two successive terms in 2004 and 2009, before he lost to the YSRCP candidate in 2014. His brother, Beeda Ravichandra, is presently heading the Nellore district unit of the TDP.